Never Yours ✔️

Ch. 7

 Someone shook her shoulder.

"Arysa?"

She jerked upright, and her head struck something hard. She pressed back into the door behind her. Idaly sat crouched in front of her, his brows drawn together in concern. He took in her tear-stained cheeks and tangled hair, but when his eyes landed on her neck he inhaled sharp.

"What happened?" He breathed. He stared at her blood-stained knuckles. "What did he do to you?"

Her breathing was heavy with fear. Adrenaline thundered through her veins. Her chest rose and fell shakily, and she trembled under his gaze.

He glanced down both ends of the hall. "Come on, let's get you out of here before anyone else sees you like this."

He reached for her, but she flinched, her back hitting the door. Idaly hesitated.

"It's okay." He murmured. "I'm not going to hurt you."

She drew in a shaky breath. "E-Em—I need to—Demain—is he—?"

"Demain's fine." Idaly's kind brown eyes grounded her. "He had some last minute meeting with Ashlyn and the other Generals. He was out all night, but I saw him a few minutes ago. He's perfectly fine."

A weight suddenly lifted off of Arysa's shoulders. Her head thumped back against the door and she inhaled a deep, steady breath.

Idaly stood and held out his hand to her. "There's a meeting in an hour. You can't go looking like this. Come on, my house is close by."

Something lifted inside of her when she realized he had no intention of taking her back to her own room. It was terrifying, how, so quickly, the one place she used to feel safest turned into the one place she felt the most vulnerable. Her bedroom suffocated her, as if the walls were prison bars and though the door was right there, she couldn't leave.

She took his hand and he helped her to her feet, supporting her weak and trembling body through the halls. He checked around every corner, and each time she stumbled, he caught her. He brought her down a back path through the city to the back door of a small cottage. He nudged it open and guided Arysa inside to a small cot in the corner. She sat down, her back leaning against the wall, watching Idaly as he closed the door and gathered towels and a bucket of water.

Demain's words echoed in her head as unease ate away at her.

"Do you trust Idaly?"

"With my life."

Idaly came back to her and knelt on the floor in front of her. He gestured to her hands, a question in his eyes. She nodded and let him take her hands and gently clean off her knuckles. He didn't say a word as he washed and bandaged her wounds. He handed her a wet cloth and let her clean her own face, and afterwards he sat beside her and brushed her hair.

Arysa never said a word, even when he finished and moved away, she didn't move, her face empty. Then Idaly set a small dagger on the bed in front of her and she looked up at him. He just nodded and moved away. Her fingers slid along the hilt, running over the rivets carved into it. She picked it up and turned it in the air, running her thumb down the blade. It was light, sharp, simple. Safe.

She looked up when she heard Idaly return. He had two meager plates of food and flasks of water.

"Hungry?"

She nodded, an almost smile touching her lips. He sat down on the opposite side of the bed and set the food in between them. Arysa picked up her plate and brought it to her lap. She nibbled at her food, her eyes staring at the rough wood floors, but somewhere else entirely.